Steam motive power



Oct. 1, 1946. c. J. sURDY STEAM MoTvE POWER Filed May 31, 1944 f sA sheaves-'sheet 2 N .bm

v comprising one orv more 'of Patented Oct. 1, 1946 UNITED STATE STEAM MorlvE POWER Charles J. Surdy, Erie, Pa., assignor to The Stand- -Incorporated, a corporayard Stoker Company,

tion of Delaware Application May s1, 1944, serial No. 538,165

3 Claims. (Cl. 105-36) This invention relates to railroad motive power of the turbo-electric type employing steam generating means as a source of power.

It is an object of the invention to provide a novel motive power unit of the above type that is self-propelled and complete in itself, and is comparatively simple in its construction and arrange men More particularly the invention contemplates a novel and ,advantageous combination and arrangement of structure and apparatus such as the control cab, generator, turbine, rebox', boiler, fuel and water space, in a motive power unit of the above type, adapted to conserve space but which nevertheless permits free access to operative parts of the unit and free passage through the unit.

Another object of the invention is to provide a motive power system having a high degree of iiexibility whereby the motive .power `system is conveniently accommodated Atomeet varied trafiic requirements. The'novel motive power units are adapted to be operatedv as single units or in multiple, permitting the use 'of' the minimum number of units necessary for the load to be hauled or the grade of the road traversed.

Another object of the invention. is to increase the operating radius of a motive power system novel'motil/"ey power units, without stopping vto take on additional water;

Other objects and advantages of the invention will become apparent from the following description, agpreferred embodiment of which is illustratedV in the accompanying drawings, wherein Figurevl is a view in side elevation of a motive power system comprising two novel power units with tween;

Figure 2 is f a lvertical longitudinal section! diagrammatically shown, through one of the novel power units;

Figure 3 is a sectional plan View, diagrammatically shown, through one of the novel power units; K

Figure 4 is a diagrammatic sectional View taken on thevline 4 4 of Figure 2;

Figure 5 is a diagrammatic sectional View taken on the line 5-5 of Figure 2; and

Figure 6 is a diagrammatic sectional View taken on the line 6-6 of Figure 1.

In one embodiment of the invention, referring to Figure 1, a pair of turbo-electric motive units the above referred to a'n auxiliary fwater tank tlf'ierebe` .turbo-electric generating 2 IIJ are arranged end to end with an auxiliary water tan-k unit I Iv therebetween. A As shown in- Figure 2, the motive unit Ill is provided with an external shell I2 supported on a frame I-3 which in turn is mounted on the two six wheel trucks I4'. A lead truck I5 is associated with the foremost of the two six .wheel trucks .14. i Within the shell I2', oiset'to one sidev thereof and about midway between the ends of the motive unit I0, is mounted the steam generating plant or bolier I6 andy forward thereof is the means operablev by The turbo-electric the turbine and gear steam from the boiler I6. generating mea-'ns comprises set I1 and the generator and exciter i8. All ofr the wheels I9 ofthe two. six wheel trucks Hipas wellas all/the wheels 20 of the lead truck I5, are preferably utilized as drive wheels, and each pair of them is provided with a driving motor 2l, the driving'motors being operable by current from the turbo-electric means I'I, I B, and being suitably supported on the truck frames and suitably geared to the axles 22 of the wheel trucks.

At'the rear ofthe boiler I6" is a space 23 for the fireman and to the rear of this is a coal bin 2'4 and a water' tank 25. The engineers cab 26, in which is the control mechanism, is located at the forward end of the locomotive and a pas'- sageway 21, shown in Figures 3 and 4, extends from the cab 26 along theside of the generator I8,'turbine Il, and the boiler |16 to the iiremans space23 andthence along theiside of thel coal bin 24 and water tank 25. K The trucks I 4V are spaced apart, as shown in Figure 2, and thatpart of the frame I3 lying therebetween is depressed, as at `28. unit- 2`9 of the boiler I 6 is mounted on the depressed portion-2`8 of the Iframe and an ash pan 30 forl the reboxunit 29 depends therefrom in the space between the t'rucksflli. It will loe-.seen that this construction and arrangement of ele` ments provides for a firebox of maximum overall height without increasing the height of the top of the firebox above the level of the rails. This increased overall height provides greater evaporating surface in the rebox unit of the boiler thereby making ,it possible to materially shorten the overall length of the boiler as compared with the usual locomotive steam boiler.

The boiler I6 comprises the rebox unit 29 which is of the water tube evaporating type, and a re tube evaporating unit 3l. A pair of laterally spaced steam and water drums 32 extend longitudinally through the upper portion of the The iirebox the trough 4) firebox unit 29. Water evaporating tubes, not shown, extend upwardly within the iirebox and communicate with the drums 32, and water circulating downcomers 33 extend downwardly from the drums `32 along the outside of the rebox.

Referring particularly to Figure 5, the coal bin 24 is provided with downwardly and inwardly extending sidewalls 34 and 35. The vertical longi tudinal walls 35 and 31 extending downwardly from the lower edges of the bin side walls 34 and 35, respectively, form with the bottom 38 of the bin 24, a compartment 39 in which is housed of a suitable type of Stoker. On each side of the bin 24 and compartment 39 is provided additional water space in the form of compartments 4l and 42. The upright longitudinally extending wall $3 separates the water compartment M from the passageway 21. y

It is evident from the above description that the motive unit l@ is complete in itself and is self propelled and adapted to haul a train of cars. The units l may be operated singly or in multiple depending on the load to be hauled or the grade of the road. The units when operated in multiple, are preferably arranged back end to back end, so that the system can be operated from either end and in either direction, obviating turning the motive power system around at terminals.

If it is desired to increase the operating radius of the motive power system without stopping'to take on additional water, a water tank car il is provided. The water tank car l l may be coupled with a single motive power unit it) or it may be coupled intermediate a pair of motive power units l0 as shown in Figure 1, as traffic conditions require.

The water tank car Il is provided with a passageway M extending therethrough communicating at its ends with the passageways 21 of the motive power units IG. Thus in a motive power system such as illustrated in Figure 1, a continu-A ous passageway is provided extending from the cab at the head end ofthe lead unit 1B, through the water tank car Il to the cab at the rear of the trailing unit I0 thereby permitting the locomotive crew to travel from one end of the motive power system to the other and providing convenient for inspection or repair system is in motion.

I claim the following:

1. A railroad motive power unit comprising a steam generating plant, the upper portion of said steam generating plant being disposed within the outer confines of the unit and extending substantially the width thereof, the lower portion thereof being indented along oneside providing a passageway between said indented side and the side of the said unit and beneath the upper portion of said steam generating plant, turboelectric generating means forward thereof operable by steam from said plant, said turbo-electric while the motive power access to the component parts thereofk generating means being disposed in said unit to provide a passageway along one side thereof, a control cab forward of said turbo-electric generating means, a remans Space at the rear of said steam generating plant, and fuel and water compartments at the rear of said firemans space, said fuel and water compartments being offset to one side of said unit to provide a passageway. said passageways being in communication and extending from said control cab rearwardly through the end of said unit.

2. A railroad motive power unit comprising a steam generating plant, turbo-electric generating means forward thereof, operable by steam from said plant, sa turbo-electric generating means being disposed in said unit to provide a passageway along one side thereof, a control cab forward of said turbo-electric generating means, a remans space at the rear of said steam generating plant, longitudinally extending converging walls in said unit rearward of said iiremans space forming a fuel bin exH tending the width of said unit at its upper end, a longitudinally extending wall projecting downward from one of said converging walls to provide an inner compartment for water and an outer compartment forming a passageway, a water tank at the rear of said fuel compartment offset to one side of said unit providing a passageway along the other side of said unit, said passageways being in communication and extending from said control cab rearwardly through the end of said unit.

3. A railroad motive power unit comprising a steam generating plant, the upper portion of said steam generating plant being disposed within the outer confines of the unit and extending substantially the width thereof, the lower portion thereof being indented along one side providing a passageway between said indented Side and the side of said unit and beneath the upper portion of said steam generating plant, turbo-electric generating means forward thereof, operable by steam from said plant, said turbo-electric generating means being disposed in said unit to provide a passageway along one side thereof, a ccntrol cab forward of said turbo-electric generating means, a iirernansI space at the rear of said steam generating plant, longitudinally extending converging walls in said unit rearward of said firemans space forming a fuel bin extending the width of said unit at its upper end, a longitudinally' CHARLES J. SURDY.

id steam generating plant and 

